Ian McCoshen working to carve more vital role in Panthers' defense

Ian McCoshen looked out at the troop of small fries skating this week at the Panthers IceDen Summer Hockey Camp and recalled not that many years ago when his view of the game was on their level.

The Florida Panthers defenseman, who will enter his second NHL season this fall, has made his mission as guest instructor to help the campers age 8-17 enjoy learning the skills of hockey as much as he did when he was in their boots.

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“Just reminiscing when we started off today with the line drills, I remember back when I was 8 or 9 years old we did the exact same thing and my dad was the coach,” McCoshen said after Tuesday’s session. “So just good memories from that and skating with my buddies. I was smiling the whole time. These kids are having a good time.”

The four-day camp is a break for McCoshen from his more serious summer work in Minnesota of preparing to take a step into a greater role in the Panthers defense corps.

McCoshen, 22, spent all of his rookie season with the Panthers but was often the seventh D-man watching from the press box. He appeared in 38 games, recording four points — including three goals — missed four games with an upper-body injury and was a healthy scratch for the rest.

The Panthers’ second-round draft pick in 2013 (selected 31st overall) is eager to take his place in the succession of defensemen who have come out of Boston College to prominence in the NHL, including currently-active Brooks Orpik, Noah Hanifin, Steven Santini, Brian Dumoulin and Panthers teammate Michael Matheson.

“I like Ian a lot. I think he’s just going to get better, going to be a real shutdown D,” Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said Tuesday. “Obviously, the pace and getting more puck-moving, getting his timing down. I expect him to be a top-four blue-liner in his career, and one of those guys we can put out there in the last minute of play.”

McCoshen was one of two rookies on the Florida blue line. MacKenzie Weegar saw considerably more time among the top-six defenders, playing in 60 games and notching eight points (2-6) and a plus-5 ice rating.

The number that stood out on McCoshen’s ledger was minus-10, worst among defenders. He utilized his 6-foot-3, 217-pound frame to make his presence felt with 71 hits and 43 shots blocked.

“He’s a physical, strong, good stay-at-home, first-pass defenseman that has a bright future, and I really like him,” Tallon said.

It is too early to anticipate the composition of the Panthers’ defense for 2018-19. Weegar and Alexander Petrovic are restricted free agents and Russian Bogdan Kiselevich was signed out of the KHL.

“We want a balanced depth chart. We went defense early [signing Kiselevich] and now we’re adding forwards, and then we probably have to revert back to D eventually,” Tallon said. “Fortunately for us, Matheson, [Aaron] Ekblad, Weegar, McCoshen, they’re all good young players yet — they’re at the early stages of their careers.”

McCoshen, who learned about the Hoffman trade following the summer camp session Tuesday, said he is not getting caught up in trying to project how he’ll be utilized.

“Just come into camp, you’ve got to earn your spot,” he said. “That’s what management told me and I’m going to hold them to that.”

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Regarding his limited playing time last season: “It was still really positive. I was here all year, so I got to learn from guys that have played in the league for 12 years, 15 years like [Roberto Luongo] — younger guys that are my age too but they’re playing. Just picking their brains and what works for them and what I can incorporate in my game.”

For a few days this week, McCoshen’s focus is on helping aspiring players much younger than himself. He recalled what it meant to him and his buddies when long-time NHL forward Marian Gaborik visited their youth camp in Minnesota.

“We were so nervous, we didn’t want to miss any passes or mess up a drill,” McCoshen said. “He came on the ice and that was probably the highlight of my 10-year-old season.”

As for gaining inspiration from Gaborik’s visit, McCoshen said, “For sure, but at that time you’re 4-11, 5 feet tall. So you’re like, maybe someday I’ll be 6-1, 6-3.

“Seeing him on the ice and him telling us about his story was awesome.”

McCoshen is eager to share his story with the campers at the IceDen, but so far, “They mostly just ask me kind of random questions, like, ‘What’s your favorite color, what do you eat and where do you live?’ Hopefully later in the week they ask me more hockey-specific questions.”